September 18, 2025 • 6 mins
Today, H.R. McMaster examines the foreign influence and interference opportunities presented to America’s adversaries seeking to exploit the assassination of Charlie Kirk. A new survey coauthored by Hoover fellows Amit Seru and David Larcker finds CEOs are increasingly using informal networks of advisors and even paid professional coaches to help formulate strategy and make decisions. And Oliver Melton discusses the importance of sifting through the noise to find the signal when evaluating the health of China’s economy on the latest episode of China Considered with Elizabeth Economy.
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Episode Transcript
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>> Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Hoover Daily Report.
Ideas Advancing Freedom It's Thursday,September 18, 2025.
Today, HR McMaster examinesthe foreign influence and
interference opportunities presentedto America's adversaries seeking to
exploit the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
A new survey co authored byHoover fellows Amit Saroo and
(00:21):
David Larker finds CEOs are increasinglyusing informal networks of advisors and
and even paid professional coaches to helpformulate strategy and make decisions.
And Oliver Melton discusses the importanceof sifting through the noise to find
the signal when evaluatingthe health of China's economy.
On the latest episode ofChina Considered with Elizabeth Economy.
>> Speaker 2 (00:42):
Charlie Kirk's murder as a threat to national security over on his
substack, Senior Fellow H.R. mcMasterexplores Charlie Kirk's assassination
through a national security lens,citing how America's adversaries can use
the incident to engage inpolitical interference.
Almost immediately, McMaster writes,Chinese linked social media accounts
(01:03):
spread conspiracy theoriesabout the shooting,
predicting that the US isslipping into civil war.
McMaster recalls an encounterwith Wang Huning,
a close advisor to Chinese PresidentXi Jinping, who has advanced
this idea of using America's internaltensions to China's advantage for decades.
McMaster urges the American public notto succumb to polarization and acrimony.
(01:25):
We have an opportunity to honorCharlie Kirk's memory and
prove Chinese Communist Party leaderswrong by engaging one another in
respectful discussions about how wecan strengthen our nation, he writes.
>> Speaker 1 (01:38):
CEOs increasingly using informal networks of Advisors and
professional coaches half of all CEOsemploy a professional coach to help them
hone their leadership skills, and morethan 80% maintain a kitchen cabinet of
informal advisors tohelp them make decisions.
This is according to a new surveyundertaken by scholars from
the Stanford Graduate School of Business,Arthur and Tony Rembe Rock center for
(02:02):
Corporate Governance,the Hoover Institution's Governance of
Organizations Working group,and the Miles Group.
More than 90% of CEOs surveyed indicatedthey use either a professional coach or
or a network of informal advisors,demonstrating that the role of a modern
CEO is changing and corporate leaders areexpected to seek external insights when
(02:23):
making decisions, according to report coauthor and Hoover Senior Fellow Amit Siru.
The mainstream adoption of coachingreflects how the role of CEO has evolved
from being the ultimate authorityin an organization to a leader who
leverages external insights todrive better outcomes, said Saroo.
>> Speaker 2 (02:40):
From Beijing to Washington China's Economy with Oliver Melton on
the latest episode of China ConsideredSenior Fellow Elizabeth Economy speaks
with Oliver Melton, a former diplomat inBeijing who now works as a China Economy
analyst for Rhodium Group.
He tells Economy about how important it isas an evaluator of China's economy to get
(03:01):
out of Beijing,go into the industrial areas and
sniff out relevant data to illustratewhat the numbers really are.
His work involves scrutinizingthe official communications of
the Chinese Communist Party andother relevant institutions, Melton said.
This work is complemented by on the groundinterviews with subject matter experts and
Kremlinology or decipheringthe communications of the State.
>> Speaker 1 (03:23):
Big ships and little A Barbell Plan for Deterrence In a new piece
published on Andreessen Horowitz'sAmerican Dynamism Blog,
Hoover Fellow Ike Freeman anddefense policy analyst Harry Hallam,
Authority, argue that America's defenseprocurement process needs a revamp.
Echoing the findings in their new bookthe Arsenal of Democracy, Technology,
(03:43):
Industry andDeterrence in an Age of Hard Choices,
they argue that modern war rewardssensing, counter sensing and
rapid resupply, not wildly expensivebespoke weapons platforms.
They say that today America's weaknessis capacity and a dysfunctional weapons
procurement system that can't translateideas into fielded capability fast enough.
(04:04):
They urge new reforms such as buyingcommercially available platforms by
default, funding prototype development,lowering barriers for new defense market
entrants, and rewarding Pentagonofficials for speed and availability.
>> Speaker 2 (04:17):
Rethink school policy in wake of pandemic,
Hanuszek tells Congress Today seniorFellow Eric Hanuschek addressed
the US Senate Committee on Health,Education, labor and Pensions.
He reiterated his comments onthe latest National Assessment of
Educational Progress data, which showsmath and reading scores had already been
falling for most students for nearly 10years prior to the COVID 19 pandemic.
(04:41):
Simply doing more of what was implementedprior to school closures will not reverse
these trends, he warned.
He urged lawmakers to supporteducation reforms suggested by recent
work at Hoover, such as the initialreport of the Education Futures Council.
These reforms would reinforce outcomebased school design based on performance,
with successful schoolsearning operational
(05:02):
latitude to develop new methodswhile struggling schools
could receive more guided helpto achieve better results.
>> Speaker 1 (05:09):
One Big Beautiful Bill's Medicaid cuts still lead to increase in
Medicaid spending on substack policy.
Fellows Tom Church and Daniel Heil pointout that even with the Medicaid spending
changes contained in the One Big BeautifulBill being characterized as a cut to
Medicaid spending,
overall spending on the program willcontinue to rise between now and 2034.
(05:31):
While the new measures reduce Medicaidspending by $910 billion over the next 10
years, according tothe Congressional Budget Office,
overall outlays on Medicaidwill continue to rise.
Church and Heil calculate thatnominal Medicaid spending will grow by
$740 billion over the next 10 years,adjusted for inflation.
(05:52):
They say real Medicaid spendingwill essentially be flat,
growing less than $20billion in that same period.
>> Speaker 2 (05:58):
This month in Hoover History Condoleezza Rice becomes
Hoover Institution's eighthdirector on September 1, 2020,
Condolica Rice became the TAD and DianeTaub Director of the Hoover Institution.
In addition to her roles as White Housenational security advisor and
America's 66th Secretary of State,Rice has spent a great portion of her
(06:18):
distinguished academic career atStanford as Hoover Senior Fellow,
as an award winning educator,and as the University's Provost.
>> Speaker 1 (06:26):
That's your Hoover Daily report for Thursday, September 18, 2025.
Each weekday we bring you research,analysis and commentary focused on public
policy, national security, and the ideasshaping American society and government.
The Hoover Institution at StanfordUniversity is grounded in constitutional
principles with a commitment tosustaining the safeguards of the American
(06:48):
way of life.
Thank you for listening.
For links to all the articles andinterviews mentioned today,
visit Hoover.org HDR.
Welcome to the Hoover Daily Report.
Ideas Advancing Freedom It's Thursday,September 18, 2025.
Today, HR McMaster examinesthe foreign influence and
interference opportunities presentedto America's adversaries seeking to
exploit the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
A new survey co authored byHoover fellows Amit Saroo and
(00:21):
David Larker finds CEOs are increasinglyusing informal networks of advisors and
and even paid professional coaches to helpformulate strategy and make decisions.
And Oliver Melton discusses the importanceof sifting through the noise to find
the signal when evaluatingthe health of China's economy.
On the latest episode ofChina Considered with Elizabeth Economy.
>> Speaker 2 (00:42):
Charlie Kirk's murder as a threat to national security over on his
substack, Senior Fellow H.R. mcMasterexplores Charlie Kirk's assassination
through a national security lens,citing how America's adversaries can use
the incident to engage inpolitical interference.
Almost immediately, McMaster writes,Chinese linked social media accounts
(01:03):
spread conspiracy theoriesabout the shooting,
predicting that the US isslipping into civil war.
McMaster recalls an encounterwith Wang Huning,
a close advisor to Chinese PresidentXi Jinping, who has advanced
this idea of using America's internaltensions to China's advantage for decades.
McMaster urges the American public notto succumb to polarization and acrimony.
(01:25):
We have an opportunity to honorCharlie Kirk's memory and
prove Chinese Communist Party leaderswrong by engaging one another in
respectful discussions about how wecan strengthen our nation, he writes.
>> Speaker 1 (01:38):
CEOs increasingly using informal networks of Advisors and
professional coaches half of all CEOsemploy a professional coach to help them
hone their leadership skills, and morethan 80% maintain a kitchen cabinet of
informal advisors tohelp them make decisions.
This is according to a new surveyundertaken by scholars from
the Stanford Graduate School of Business,Arthur and Tony Rembe Rock center for
(02:02):
Corporate Governance,the Hoover Institution's Governance of
Organizations Working group,and the Miles Group.
More than 90% of CEOs surveyed indicatedthey use either a professional coach or
or a network of informal advisors,demonstrating that the role of a modern
CEO is changing and corporate leaders areexpected to seek external insights when
(02:23):
making decisions, according to report coauthor and Hoover Senior Fellow Amit Siru.
The mainstream adoption of coachingreflects how the role of CEO has evolved
from being the ultimate authorityin an organization to a leader who
leverages external insights todrive better outcomes, said Saroo.
>> Speaker 2 (02:40):
From Beijing to Washington China's Economy with Oliver Melton on
the latest episode of China ConsideredSenior Fellow Elizabeth Economy speaks
with Oliver Melton, a former diplomat inBeijing who now works as a China Economy
analyst for Rhodium Group.
He tells Economy about how important it isas an evaluator of China's economy to get
(03:01):
out of Beijing,go into the industrial areas and
sniff out relevant data to illustratewhat the numbers really are.
His work involves scrutinizingthe official communications of
the Chinese Communist Party andother relevant institutions, Melton said.
This work is complemented by on the groundinterviews with subject matter experts and
Kremlinology or decipheringthe communications of the State.
>> Speaker 1 (03:23):
Big ships and little A Barbell Plan for Deterrence In a new piece
published on Andreessen Horowitz'sAmerican Dynamism Blog,
Hoover Fellow Ike Freeman anddefense policy analyst Harry Hallam,
Authority, argue that America's defenseprocurement process needs a revamp.
Echoing the findings in their new bookthe Arsenal of Democracy, Technology,
(03:43):
Industry andDeterrence in an Age of Hard Choices,
they argue that modern war rewardssensing, counter sensing and
rapid resupply, not wildly expensivebespoke weapons platforms.
They say that today America's weaknessis capacity and a dysfunctional weapons
procurement system that can't translateideas into fielded capability fast enough.
(04:04):
They urge new reforms such as buyingcommercially available platforms by
default, funding prototype development,lowering barriers for new defense market
entrants, and rewarding Pentagonofficials for speed and availability.
>> Speaker 2 (04:17):
Rethink school policy in wake of pandemic,
Hanuszek tells Congress Today seniorFellow Eric Hanuschek addressed
the US Senate Committee on Health,Education, labor and Pensions.
He reiterated his comments onthe latest National Assessment of
Educational Progress data, which showsmath and reading scores had already been
falling for most students for nearly 10years prior to the COVID 19 pandemic.
(04:41):
Simply doing more of what was implementedprior to school closures will not reverse
these trends, he warned.
He urged lawmakers to supporteducation reforms suggested by recent
work at Hoover, such as the initialreport of the Education Futures Council.
These reforms would reinforce outcomebased school design based on performance,
with successful schoolsearning operational
(05:02):
latitude to develop new methodswhile struggling schools
could receive more guided helpto achieve better results.
>> Speaker 1 (05:09):
One Big Beautiful Bill's Medicaid cuts still lead to increase in
Medicaid spending on substack policy.
Fellows Tom Church and Daniel Heil pointout that even with the Medicaid spending
changes contained in the One Big BeautifulBill being characterized as a cut to
Medicaid spending,
overall spending on the program willcontinue to rise between now and 2034.
(05:31):
While the new measures reduce Medicaidspending by $910 billion over the next 10
years, according tothe Congressional Budget Office,
overall outlays on Medicaidwill continue to rise.
Church and Heil calculate thatnominal Medicaid spending will grow by
$740 billion over the next 10 years,adjusted for inflation.
(05:52):
They say real Medicaid spendingwill essentially be flat,
growing less than $20billion in that same period.
>> Speaker 2 (05:58):
This month in Hoover History Condoleezza Rice becomes
Hoover Institution's eighthdirector on September 1, 2020,
Condolica Rice became the TAD and DianeTaub Director of the Hoover Institution.
In addition to her roles as White Housenational security advisor and
America's 66th Secretary of State,Rice has spent a great portion of her
(06:18):
distinguished academic career atStanford as Hoover Senior Fellow,
as an award winning educator,and as the University's Provost.
>> Speaker 1 (06:26):
That's your Hoover Daily report for Thursday, September 18, 2025.
Each weekday we bring you research,analysis and commentary focused on public
policy, national security, and the ideasshaping American society and government.
The Hoover Institution at StanfordUniversity is grounded in constitutional
principles with a commitment tosustaining the safeguards of the American
(06:48):
way of life.
Thank you for listening.
For links to all the articles andinterviews mentioned today,
visit Hoover.org HDR.
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